Being president of the government shortens life, according to a study

The general elections from which the next president of the Kingdom of Spain will be elected are just around the corner, and there are four candidates who are running for head of government.

But Mariano Rajoy, Pablo Iglesias, Albert Rivera and Pedro Sánchez should pay attention to the following lines, because a investigation recent seems to indicate that becoming president of a nation shortens life.

Does being president shorten life expectancy?

So, since only one of the four can win the elections, those who are not lucky enough to be elected as the highest representatives of the executive branch, they will have at least one reason for smile.

This is not the first study in this line of research.

There has been a debate for a long time about whether the presidents of the government have less life expectancy, and Science has carried out different investigations to confirm or deny this hypothesis. For example, one study found that presidents age twice as fast as non-presidents. On the other hand, another study found no relationship between premature aging and the position of head of government.

In any case, it is enough to see some photos of government presidents at the beginning and end of their terms to realize that their physical deterioration is evident. One of the most discussed cases is that of former socialist president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In the image on the left, the president of the eyebrow with 48 years. In the one on the right, 55 years old (current photograph). Doesn't it seem like more time has passed?

Recently, this new research has put this debate back on the table. To do this, it has examined the electoral processes carried out in 17 countries from 1722 to 2015. The results seem to indicate that the presidents of the government live an average of 2.7 years less and experience a 23% higher risk of premature death than the person at the head of the opposition. Presidents like Barak Obama or Rafael Correa should take note of these results.

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)

The investigation appears in a special Christmas edition of the british medical journal (BMJ). Its Christmas edition each year has unusual themes, but which, despite this, have a solid scientific basis.

“We are certain that there are differences between the mortality of the presidents of the state and that of their rivals, that is to say, that the heads of government," says Anupam Jena, study author and professor at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital (United States). Joined). The study also included Andrew Olesku, a researcher at the same university, and Matthew Abola, a medical student at Case Western Reserve University.

The authors did something new compared to past research

Despite the fact that it is not a new topic, the authors of the research did something different to quantify the hypothesis, since it is difficult to verify. Instead of comparing a president or prime minister to the general population, compared the data of the presidents with their opponents. This was done because if we compare the presidents, who are usually people of high social status, with the rest of people, there could be a significant bias, that is, that the results obtained would not be significant.

In addition, the researchers also broadened their focus after comparing the heads of government of 17 countries relatively stable institutions of Western democracies, instead of limiting the study to presidents of the states Joined. It is important to note that the researchers did not take into account dictators, but democratically elected presidents. It is clear, but it should also be verified with presidents from other continents, such as Latin American or Asian.

The cause could be the stress suffered by presidents

The study authors acknowledged that noor could they find the exact reasons why presidents don't live as long like their rivals. But it is possible that the cause is stress. “Their schedule and hectic work pace make it difficult for presidents to lead a healthy lifestyle. It is difficult for them to be able to carry out a routine of healthy eating and physical exercise” concludes Anupam Jena.

Being a politician can be a very exhausting job. Continuous travel, problems that affect an entire country, continuous exposure to the public eye, etc. Therefore, being president of the government can have its good things, but it is also a very big responsibility, which can become stressful.